There are a number of prior art technologies that enable the collection of data regarding the operation of a vehicle (“vehicle operation data”), which may include engine performance information, data indicating an engine malfunction or the likelihood of a malfunction occurring, travel speed and distance and other information associated with the operation of the vehicle. For example, speedometers, accelerometers, GPS technologies or a combination thereof may be used.
Moreover, consumer-oriented land vehicles manufactured in the last decade, including most automobiles and light trucks, incorporate an internal automotive network of electronic computers or electronic control units (“ECUs”) to regulate and optimize the performance of those vehicles, and to provide self-diagnostic information to signal the presence of faults and aid in their resolution. Access to this internal automotive network can be gained through an OBD-II diagnostic port of the vehicle. High-level OBD-II communications protocol was established as a compulsory standard for example for all North American vehicles manufactured since 1996.
There are a number of prior art technologies that utilize OBD-II ports to gather vehicle operation data for a number of purposes. The original purpose of OBD-II ports is to enable the gathering of vehicle operation data for diagnostic purposes, usually by a vehicle maintenance technician or vehicle mechanic. This gathering of vehicle operation data usually happens in conjunction with a service visit where a device is connected temporarily to the OBD-II port to extract the vehicle operation data. These prior art technologies are relatively affordable, but they generally do not provide information that is reliable enough to provide an accurate snapshot of “vehicle health” at any particular point in time during the operation of the vehicle.
Also, the location and environment of the OBD-II port may vary depending on the model and make of the vehicle. This varying location and environment can pose challenges in designing a device that can be connected to and remain connected to the OBD-II port, that remains easy to install in a broad range of vehicles, and that does not interfere with the convenient operation of the vehicle. It should be noted that if the location of the OBD-II port is often in a location that is likely to come into contact with the vehicle operator during use, and a device designed to extract information from the OBD-II port will likely be of a size that increases the likelihood of this contact, and this can result in a hazard to safe operation of the vehicle and/or damage to the device. In certain vehicles, the OBD-II port is in the lower regions of the front panel of the vehicle, and is likely to come into the contact with the feet of the operator during normal use of the vehicle pedals. Alternatively, in other vehicles the OBD-II port is in a location that is highly visible and some users may disconnect the device because the device does not appeal visually. In still other vehicles, the OBD-II port is located behind an access door, which cannot be closed if a device is installed in the port, making such an installation untenable due to reasons of potential interference with the physical controls, or aesthetics in a visible area of the passenger compartment.
One problem of prior art designs is that they do not address the differences in physical configuration of the interior of vehicles, which reduces the universality of such devices for obtaining vehicle operation data, or devices need to be replaced because of damage due to physical contact with the device by vehicle users as a direct result of the location of the device.
Another limitation of prior art technologies is that they cannot effectively extract certain types of vehicle data, particularly if the data is only available by using a manufacturer-specific, non-OBD protocol and/or by accessing the manufacturer's proprietary bus(es).
Onboard vehicle information systems such as OnStar™ obtain and transmit meaningful vehicle operation data on a wireless basis, however, such systems are relatively expensive to produce and maintain.
There is a need for a system and method that addresses the aforesaid disadvantages. In particular there is a need for a system and method for collecting vehicle operation data that is accurate, using a device that is affordable. There is a further need for a system that enables the collection of vehicle operation data efficiently, and in a way that enables the vehicle operation data to be leveraged using a variety of systems.